Indiana District President Stuckwisch reading list

 https://in.lcms.org/what-ive-recently-been-reading-and-wanting-to-read/

What I’ve Recently Been Reading and Wanting to Read

It’s been over a year since the last time I shared some books for consideration, and at a recent Circuit Winkel one of the pastors asked me when I’d be offering another such post. As it so happens, there have been a number of books that have come to my attention over the past many months, and I always enjoy sharing these discoveries with others. For the sake of full disclosure, many of the titles on this list are on my “to read” list, rather than ones I have already read; others are “in progress,” as I’m able. At this point in my life, the reality is that most of my “reading” is by way of listening to Audible books as I drive – and I’ve not yet found the following books available in that format. But we all plug along as best as we can!

Theodore Graebner, The Borderland of Right and Wrong, Eighth Edition (Concordia Publishing House, 1951). This first book on the list is far from new, having first been published in the 1930s, but I only just became aware of it this past week or so. One of my colleagues on the COP recommended it and actually had his own copy on hand for my perusal. Happily, I was able to obtain a reprint from Amazon, and I am eager to work my way through it. My initial impressions have been very positive, and I am hopeful that it will contribute positively to my thinking and teaching on the theology and practice of adiaphora. Since it predates the modern “worship wars” by many decades, it should help to get behind those raging issues.

David P. Scaer, Jesus’ Resurrection: New Testament Testimonies (Concordia Publishing House, 2026). Over the past year or so, I’ve done some reading of various apologetic works, many of which focus on the Resurrection of our Lord. As helpful as those contributions have been to varying degrees, I was most pleased to see that our own Dr. David P. Scaer has written such a book on the Resurrection, based upon the faithful and reliable testimonies of the holy Apostles and Evangelists. This one is close to the top of my “to read” list at this point, as it gets to the heart and substance of our faith, the Resurrection being the consequence of our Lord’s atoning Sacrifice upon the Cross, whereby He conquered sin and death.

Arthur A. Just, Jr. Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service (Concordia Publishing House, 2008). Earlier this year I mentioned Dr. Just’s recent “theological memoir,” Ever to Emmaus (2026), and since then I’ve also had occasion to revisit his earlier book on the history and theology of the Liturgy, one of the key texts I used with the intensive that I taught in Taiwan back in June. Heaven on Earth was in many ways the written encapsulation of the video series that Dr. Just recorded in connection with his service on our own Indiana District Worship & Spiritual Care Committee in the late 1990s. Besides all that, another new book of related interest has just appeared, He Opened to us the Scriptures: Essays in Honor of Arthur A. Just Jr., edited by Charles A. Gieschen (Concordia Publishing House, 2026). I had the privilege of contributing a brief opening “biography” to that volume, and I look forward to reading the various essays included within by some of the very best Lutheran teachers of the faith.

Heath Curtis, Telling People What to Think: A Concise Homiletics for Lutheran Parish Pastors (2024). Aside from being a longtime friend and brother in Christ, and now also one of my colleagues on the COP, Pr. Heath Curtis will be one of the presenters at this year’s fall pastors’ conference in a few weeks. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Heath since he was a teenager, a member of my Dad’s congregation in McCook, Nebraska, and I was deeply moved to discover that he acknowledges my Dad in this little book on Lutheran preaching. I’ve previously recommended another of his books, The Small Town Lutheran Church & Pastor: A Concise Pastoral Theology for Pastors and Elders (2025). Truth be told, I am always glad to hear or read whatever Pr. Curtis has to say, as he is both insightful and articulate at all times.

Benjamin T.G. Mayes, Divorce & Remarriage: Ecclesiastical Discernment and Pastoral Care (Concordia Publishing House, 2026). Dr. Mayes, a professor at our Fort Wayne Seminary, will be the other presenter at the fall pastors’ conference. He spent the past several years working on this recently published book on the challenging topic of divorce and remarriage. It sets forth his careful study of what the Bible and the Book of Concord, as well as the Lutheran dogmaticians, have to say and teach us on these matters. What he offers is convicting and thought-provoking, and it gives us a great deal to wrestle with as we strive to be faithful in our calling as pastors to care for God’s people with His Law and His Gospel.

Andrew Richard, Christ and the Church, Second Edition (Steadfast Press, 2023). Another book on the topic of holy marriage, this one came to my attention through conversation with one of our Indiana District pastors. I’ve only just acquired the volume for myself, but I’m very pleased with what I see so far. It is written as a month-long daily devotional, one that might easily lend itself to the task of pastoral care for young couples preparing for their holy matrimony. I look forward to working my way through it, and I anticipate that I will find myself giving the book as a gift to my own married children and to others.

John W. Kleinig, From Shame to Glory: God’s Surprising Remedy for Injustice & Failure (Concordia Publishing House, 2026). I’ve appreciated, benefited from, and thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve ever read by Dr. John Kleinig, a dear teacher of the faith from Australia. A scholar of the Holy Scriptures, of the historic Liturgy, and of the theology and practice of pastoral care, he always brings a profound and robust wisdom to bear on whatever topic he is addressing. I’ve not yet been able to begin digging into this most recent book, but there is no doubt that shame, injustice, and failure are rife within our world, and no less so within the hearts and minds, bodies, souls, and spirits of fallen Adam’s children; and what we all need is the remedy of God’s Word and the gracious gifts of His Gospel in Christ Jesus.

Harold L. Senkbeil & Lucas V. Woodford, The Culture of God’s Word: Faithful Ministry in a Post-Christian Society (Lexham Press, 2026). Here is another book that recognizes and extols the necessity of the Word of God in addressing this fallen and perishing world. I’ve known and appreciated Dr. Harold Senkbeil for many years now, and countless pastors have benefited from his work with Doxology. His co-author in this case, Pr. Lucas Woodford, is another of my colleagues on the COP, the president of the Minnesota South District of the LCMS. Over these past four years, as I’ve had the opportunity to visit and work with Pr. Woodford, I have come to know him as a thoughtful, caring, and conscientious pastors’ pastor. His love for the Church and for God’s Word animate his service, and I am sure they will animate this book.

Timothy J. Winterstein, Worshiped & Glorified: A Study of the Nicene Creed (Concordia Publishing House, 2025). Finally, for those who have not yet discovered it, I recommend this engaging study of the Nicene Creed by one of our own Indiana District pastors. Rev. Winterstein serves University Lutheran Church in Bloomington, and he is adept at presenting and discussing meaty theological topics in a winsome and accessible way. So has he done in this case, taking up the most catholic and ecumenical statement of the Christian faith and unpacking it with straightforward explanations and a clear reliance on the Scriptures. Published this past year, it felicitously commemorated the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea!